This definitive box set includes all the landmark speeches of the great orator and American leader Martin Luther King, Jr., from his inspirational "I Have a Dream" to his firey "Give Us the Ballot." Comprised of recordings previously included in A Call to Conscience and A Knock at Midnight,
The Essential Box Set is a must-have for any home, library, or school collection.

5 out of 5 stars

A Great Resource!

By
Veronica
on
01-19-10

Rising Star

The Making of Barack Obama

By:
David Garrow

Narrated by:
Charles Constant

Length: 56 hrs and 9 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
95

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
81

Story

4 out of 5 stars
81

Barack Obama's keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention instantly catapulted the little-known state senator from Illinois into the national spotlight. Three months later Obama would win election to the US Senate; four years later he would make history as America's first black president. Now, at the end of his second presidential term, David J. Garrow delivers the most compelling and comprehensive biography ever written of Obama in the years preceding his presidency.

5 out of 5 stars

Refreshingly Objective Biography

By
Roman
on
05-31-17

Parting the Waters

America in the King Years 1954-63

By:
Taylor Branch

Narrated by:
Prentice Onayemi,
Janina Edwards

Length: 45 hrs and 10 mins

Unabridged

Overall

0 out of 5 stars
0

Performance

0 out of 5 stars
0

Story

0 out of 5 stars
0

Hailed as the most masterful story ever told of the American civil rights movement, Parting the Waters is destined to endure for generations. Moving from the fiery political baptism of Martin Luther King, Jr., to the corridors of Camelot where the Kennedy brothers weighed demands for justice against the deceptions of J. Edgar Hoover, here is a vivid tapestry of America, torn and finally transformed by a revolutionary struggle unequaled since the Civil War.

The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.

By:
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,
Clayborne Carson - editor

Narrated by:
Levar Burton

Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
831

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
622

Story

5 out of 5 stars
621

He was a husband, a father, a preacher - and the preeminent leader of a movement that continues to transform America and the world. Now, in a special program commissioned and authorized by his family, here is the life and times of Martin Luther King, Jr. Featuring King's
I Have a Dream Speech.

5 out of 5 stars

A Fascinating Slice of History

By
John-Mark Stensvaag
on
08-05-03

The Color of Compromise

The Truth About the American Church’s Complicity in Racism

By:
Jemar Tisby

Narrated by:
Jemar Tisby,
Justin Henry - foreword

Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
52

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
47

Story

5 out of 5 stars
48

The Color of Compromise is both enlightening and compelling, telling a history we either ignore or just don’t know. Equal parts painful and inspirational, it details how the American church has helped create and maintain racist ideas and practices. The Color of Compromise is not a call to shame or a platform to blame white evangelical Christians. It is a call from a place of love and desire to fight for a more racially unified church that no longer compromises what the Bible teaches about human dignity and equality.

4 out of 5 stars

A Challenging Review to Write

By
Maximus
on
02-19-19

Malcolm X

A Life of Reinvention

By:
Manning Marable

Narrated by:
G. Valmont Thomas

Length: 22 hrs and 4 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
767

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
630

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
633

Of the great figure in 20th-century American history perhaps none is more complex and controversial than Malcolm X. Constantly rewriting his own story, he became a criminal, a minister, a leader, and an icon, all before being felled by assassins' bullets at age 39. Through his tireless work and countless speeches he empowered hundreds of thousands of black Americans to create better lives and stronger communities while establishing the template for the self-actualized, independent African American man.

This definitive box set includes all the landmark speeches of the great orator and American leader Martin Luther King, Jr., from his inspirational "I Have a Dream" to his firey "Give Us the Ballot." Comprised of recordings previously included in A Call to Conscience and A Knock at Midnight,
The Essential Box Set is a must-have for any home, library, or school collection.

5 out of 5 stars

A Great Resource!

By
Veronica
on
01-19-10

Rising Star

The Making of Barack Obama

By:
David Garrow

Narrated by:
Charles Constant

Length: 56 hrs and 9 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
95

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
81

Story

4 out of 5 stars
81

Barack Obama's keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention instantly catapulted the little-known state senator from Illinois into the national spotlight. Three months later Obama would win election to the US Senate; four years later he would make history as America's first black president. Now, at the end of his second presidential term, David J. Garrow delivers the most compelling and comprehensive biography ever written of Obama in the years preceding his presidency.

5 out of 5 stars

Refreshingly Objective Biography

By
Roman
on
05-31-17

Parting the Waters

America in the King Years 1954-63

By:
Taylor Branch

Narrated by:
Prentice Onayemi,
Janina Edwards

Length: 45 hrs and 10 mins

Unabridged

Overall

0 out of 5 stars
0

Performance

0 out of 5 stars
0

Story

0 out of 5 stars
0

Hailed as the most masterful story ever told of the American civil rights movement, Parting the Waters is destined to endure for generations. Moving from the fiery political baptism of Martin Luther King, Jr., to the corridors of Camelot where the Kennedy brothers weighed demands for justice against the deceptions of J. Edgar Hoover, here is a vivid tapestry of America, torn and finally transformed by a revolutionary struggle unequaled since the Civil War.

The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.

By:
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,
Clayborne Carson - editor

Narrated by:
Levar Burton

Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
831

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
622

Story

5 out of 5 stars
621

He was a husband, a father, a preacher - and the preeminent leader of a movement that continues to transform America and the world. Now, in a special program commissioned and authorized by his family, here is the life and times of Martin Luther King, Jr. Featuring King's
I Have a Dream Speech.

5 out of 5 stars

A Fascinating Slice of History

By
John-Mark Stensvaag
on
08-05-03

The Color of Compromise

The Truth About the American Church’s Complicity in Racism

By:
Jemar Tisby

Narrated by:
Jemar Tisby,
Justin Henry - foreword

Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
52

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
47

Story

5 out of 5 stars
48

The Color of Compromise is both enlightening and compelling, telling a history we either ignore or just don’t know. Equal parts painful and inspirational, it details how the American church has helped create and maintain racist ideas and practices. The Color of Compromise is not a call to shame or a platform to blame white evangelical Christians. It is a call from a place of love and desire to fight for a more racially unified church that no longer compromises what the Bible teaches about human dignity and equality.

4 out of 5 stars

A Challenging Review to Write

By
Maximus
on
02-19-19

Malcolm X

A Life of Reinvention

By:
Manning Marable

Narrated by:
G. Valmont Thomas

Length: 22 hrs and 4 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
767

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
630

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
633

Of the great figure in 20th-century American history perhaps none is more complex and controversial than Malcolm X. Constantly rewriting his own story, he became a criminal, a minister, a leader, and an icon, all before being felled by assassins' bullets at age 39. Through his tireless work and countless speeches he empowered hundreds of thousands of black Americans to create better lives and stronger communities while establishing the template for the self-actualized, independent African American man.

5 out of 5 stars

invites further reading on Malcolm X

By
connie
on
05-14-11

Why We Can't Wait

By:
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,
Dorothy Cotton - introduction

Narrated by:
J. D. Jackson

Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
44

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
39

Story

5 out of 5 stars
39

On April 16, 1963, as the violent events of the Birmingham campaign unfolded in the city's streets, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., composed a letter from his prison cell in response to local religious leaders' criticism of the campaign. The resulting piece of extraordinary protest writing, "Letter from Birmingham Jail", was widely circulated and published in numerous periodicals. After the conclusion of the campaign and the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, King further developed the ideas introduced in the letter in
Why We Can't Wait.

Frederick Douglass

Prophet of Freedom

By:
David W. Blight

Narrated by:
Prentice Onayemi

Length: 36 hrs and 57 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
219

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
205

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
205

As a young man, Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) escaped from slavery in Baltimore, Maryland. He was fortunate to have been taught to read by his slave owner mistress, and he would go on to become one of the major literary figures of his time. He wrote three versions of his autobiography over the course of his lifetime and published his own newspaper. His very existence gave the lie to slave owners: with dignity and great intelligence, he bore witness to the brutality of slavery.

3 out of 5 stars

Great content; plodding performance

By
David
on
12-19-18

Speeches by Martin Luther King Jr.: The Ultimate Collection

By:
Martin Luther King Jr.

Narrated by:
Martin Luther King Jr.

Length: 16 hrs and 59 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
135

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
112

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
111

Listen "live" to one of the most iconic orators of all times in this packed-full collection of Martin Luther King Jr. speeches. King's rich and passionate style of delivery will transport you back to the era of the civil-rights movement, when King advocated non-violent resistance in the pursuit of equality and dignity not only for blacks but for all mankind. Seldom has any leader since inspired and captivated an audience worldwide and motivated a nation to action.

2 out of 5 stars

A Terrible Collection Overall -- Poorly Done

By
David
on
07-11-14

Black Reconstruction in America

By:
W. E. B. Du Bois,
David Levering Lewis

Narrated by:
Mirron Willis

Length: 37 hrs and 26 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
35

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
27

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
27

This pioneering work was the first full-length study of the role black Americans played in the crucial period after the Civil War, when the slaves had been freed and the attempt was made to reconstruct American society. Hailed at the time, Black Reconstruction in America has justly been called a classic.

5 out of 5 stars

The textbook you should have had in high school.

By
Kennedy
on
05-06-18

The Race Beat

The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation

By:
Gene Roberts,
Hank Klibanoff

Narrated by:
Richard Allen

Length: 21 hrs and 32 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
118

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
74

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
73

Drawing on private correspondence, notes from secret meetings, unpublished articles, and interviews, veteran journalists Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff go behind the headlines and datelines to show how a dedicated cadre of newsmen - first black reporters, then liberal Southern editors, then reporters and photographers from the national press and the broadcast media - revealed to a nation its most shameful shortcomings and propelled its citizens to act.

5 out of 5 stars

A fascinating inside look at history

By
Ron
on
09-22-09

The Radical King

By:
Martin Luther King,
Cornel West - editor

Narrated by:
LeVar Burton,
Gabourey Sidibe,
Cornel West,
and others

Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
422

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
384

Story

5 out of 5 stars
378

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is celebrated as one of the greatest orators in US history, an ambassador for nonviolence who became the most recognizable leader of the civil rights movement. But after more than 40 years, few people appreciate how truly radical he was.
The Radical King includes 23 selections, curated and introduced by Dr. Cornel West, including essays and speeches that were never recorded for posterity - a revelation for King's legacy.

5 out of 5 stars

An Alternative View of Martin Luther King

By
Deborah Jacob
on
04-13-18

Pillar of Fire

America in the King Years, 1963-65

By:
Taylor Branch

Narrated by:
Joe Morton,
C.C.H. Pounder

Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins

Abridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
92

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
61

Story

5 out of 5 stars
60

In
Pillar of Fire, the second volume of his
America in the King Years trilogy, Taylor Branch portrays the civil rights era at its zenith. The first volume,
Parting the Waters, won the Pulitzer Prize for history. It is a monumental chronicle of a movement that stirred the Southern black churches to challenge the national conscience during the Eisenhower and Kennedy years.

1 out of 5 stars

the audio does not match with the book

By
Katie
on
10-09-14

The Color of Law

A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America

By:
Richard Rothstein

Narrated by:
Adam Grupper

Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
972

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
867

Story

5 out of 5 stars
859

In this groundbreaking history of the modern American metropolis, Richard Rothstein explodes the myth that America's cities came to be racially divided through de facto segregation - that is, through individual prejudices, income differences, or the actions of private institutions like banks and real estate agencies. Rather, he incontrovertibly makes clear that it was de jure segregation - the laws and policy decisions passed by local, state, and federal governments - that actually promoted the discriminatory patterns that continue to this day.

As Dr. King prepared for the Birmingham campaign in early 1963, he drafted the final sermons for
Strength to Love, a volume of his best-known homilies. King had begun working on the sermons during a fortnight in jail in July 1962. Having been arrested for holding a prayer vigil outside Albany City Hall, King and Ralph Abernathy shared a jail cell for 15 days that was, according to King, ''dirty, filthy, and ill-equipped'' and "the worse I have ever seen." While behind bars, he spent uninterrupted time preparing the drafts for classic sermons....

Black Against Empire

The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party

By:
Joshua Bloom,
Waldo E. Martin Jr.

Narrated by:
Ron Butler

Length: 18 hrs and 11 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
240

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
215

Story

5 out of 5 stars
211

In Oakland, California, in 1966, community college students Bobby Seale and Huey Newton armed themselves, began patrolling the police, and promised to prevent police brutality. Unlike the Civil Rights Movement that called for full citizenship rights for blacks within the US, the Black Panther Party rejected the legitimacy of the US government and positioned itself as part of a global struggle against American imperialism.

5 out of 5 stars

the explanation of rise and fall Black Panther

By
Antwine Hurst
on
03-24-17

The War Before the War

Fugitive Slaves and the Struggle for America's Soul from the Revolution to the Civil War

By:
Andrew Delbanco

Narrated by:
Ari Fliakos

Length: 13 hrs and 40 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
52

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
49

Story

5 out of 5 stars
48

The devastating story of how fugitive slaves drove the nation to Civil War. The fugitive slave story illuminates what brought us to war with ourselves and the terrible legacies of slavery that are with us still.

5 out of 5 stars

a must-read to understand race in America today

By
Displaced Minnesotan
on
11-15-18

A Prophet with Honor

The Billy Graham Story (Updated Edition)

By:
William C. Martin

Narrated by:
Maurice England

Length: 36 hrs and 23 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
39

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
35

Story

5 out of 5 stars
36

A Prophet with Honor is the biography Billy Graham himself invited and appreciated for its sympathetic but frank approach. Carefully documented, eminently fair, and gracefully written, it raises and answers key questions about Graham's character, contributions, and influence on the world religious scene. In this engaging and comprehensive book, William Martin gives readers a better understanding of the most successful evangelist in modern history, and the movement he led for over fifty years.

5 out of 5 stars

A Man of Integrity

By
Ben Chapman
on
05-06-18

Publisher's Summary

Winner of the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Biography and the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, this is the most comprehensive book ever written about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. David J. Garrow had unrestricted access to Martin Luther King's personal papers, to thousands of pages of newly released FBI documents and more than 700 interviews with King's closest friends and enemies.

Garrow traces King's transformation from the young pastor of a modest church into the foremost spokesperson of the civil rights movement. The book's unifying theme is King's growing awareness of the symbolic meaning of the cross as his sense of mission deepened and matured into acceptance of a life that would end by demanding the ultimate sacrifice. This is a powerful portrait of a man at the epicenter of one of the most dramatic periods in our history.

Critic Reviews

"Provocative...a complex and convincing portrait." (Time) "Brilliant...one of the most valuable sources of contemporary history." (The Sunday Boston Globe) "Mr. Garrow has provided the fundament of fact on which future King biographies must rest....Likely to remain for a long time the most informative life of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the most thorough study of the civil rights movement." (The New York Times Book Review) "Absorbing...Garrow aimed simply to write the definitive chronicle of King's life during the period of his public eminence, and he has performed the task with skill and integrity." (Times Literary Supplement)

Story

great but long

First, I would say the author clearly has some incredible writing skills. The way he draws the readers in in the first few chapters is masterful. I thought that was some of the most gripping writing I have read in a long while. Likewise the end of the moving is incredibly moving given the foreboading and irony that permeates what you know will happen. There are sections in the middle that are likewise masterfully written.
I have listened to several audiobooks that were much longer than this one, but there are sections in the middle where you can find yourself zoning out for 10 min and feeling like you did not miss very much. The book is a day by day, week by week, sometimes feels like minute by minute account of MLK's life from 1955 to 1968, and it is completely linear, chronologic review of his life. Sometimes it just feels like it is one talk, one march, one act of civil disobedience after anohter. Again most of it is great, but maybe there were times when your attention is not rivetted, and the author clearly has the capability to draw you in tightly in other parts.
The narration was very good except the reader takes pauses, sometimes in mid sentence, and a few times i kept thinking my ipod broke, but then he just starts right back up again. pretty weird.
Overall very very good, definitley worth reading, but a little dry at times in the middle.

The flesh and blood man not the saint

An unflinching look at the life of man who embraced his destiny and lead his people through very turbulent times during their fight for dignity and respect. Garrow's work is very detailed and almost feels like a minute by minute account of the events of Martin Luther King Jr and the SCLC. The book did a great job of pointing out not only his strengths and courage but also his flaws as a man susceptible to the failings of the flesh. The epilogue points out that when we idolize our hero’s we make their accomplishments seem super human and far beyond the abilities of mere mortals but Garrow definitely doesn't fall into the trap. I also like the face that King's assassin only got 6 minutes at the end of the book to document his dark deed and Garrow didn't even defile his work with his name. Leave that to other works that focus on that tragic act. Garrow focuses on King's life and the accomplishments of the SCLC.

The Man Behind the Saint

Having just finished the speeches and sermons of Dr. King, I wanted to now get a history of the man. This book is extremely thorough. Here we see a man who stood up for right no matter the cost but also a man plagued by sin and struggles like all of us. There were times he was tired of the fight and wondered if non-violence would end up working, times he had to get away from everything, times of doubt in himself and what God was doing, and times of anguish.J. Edgar Hoover comes out of this book as the heavy, even heavier than LBJ, the numerous sheriffs and locals who fought the civil rights movements down south, or the complacent ministers he always tried to get to stand up for what was right. Garrow must have had access to FBI records because a lot of this book is told from that point of view.It is interesting to see that even at the beginning of the civil rights movement that there was little agreement on how to proceed. Everyone seemed to be politicking to get their name on top while it seemed to organically flow to MLK despite reluctance on his part.One of the most poignant parts of the book was when Malcolm X came to speak with MLK. It makes a lot of sense.The political manutiae in this book does make it seem to drag at points but then, when people are fighting for political power instead of the greater purpose of the whole movement, I'm sure it slowed down for MLK also. There are many times I was like, "Stop fighting and get on with the important work." This is a sentiment I am sure was shared with those in the room.It is long but worth it. Recommended.

Following in his footsteps

This is an amazingly detailed account, often moving through the events of a single day of meetings as travel, of King and his inner circle's work. It feels very much on the ground: step by literal step.

That might be too much information for some, but as a community organizer working for social change in the here and now, it was incredibly instructive to hear the memos back and forth about specific actions, to see the dissent and resolution over the course of a campaign, to understand their strategic minds in real time.

I haven't read the Branch books (that's next!), so can't make a comparison, but if you want a single volume and are okay with it being squarely focused on MLK alone, this is wonderful.

Human Rights, not Civil Rights World Leader

Born in 1965 to a middle class white family on the West coast, I only taught that Dr. MLK was a “civil rights” leader, until i listened to this book. It is a sad statement about both the black and white communities continue to perpetuate this lie; Dr. King was a “human rights” leader. What I learned from this fabulous book was that for a decade King’s SCLC organization’s efforts, although reported at the national and global level, were almost all focused at a municipal level. It was not until Dr. King threatened the US Government, that his demise was sealed. It is a sad coincidence that three of the most powerful men, MLK, JFK and RFK, that COULD have ended war and brought peace to America’s conscience were all assassinated, to stop that from happening. I’m sure if Dr. King had lived he would have shed a tear when Obama was elected; then wept bitterly just a few weeks later as he organized protests against the additional troops Obama sent to Afghanistan against his progressive campaign promises.

Amazing book!

This book does a great job of telling the story of a great man. It shows that he wasn’t great because of some innate quality but that he answered the call when it came his way. He struggled like any man but he did his best. This book makes that a more compelling story than the usual watered down version. Every fan of Dr. King should read this book.

The Life and Legacy of MLK

David J. Garrow’s biography of Martin Luther King Jr. is largely considered the foundational work available on the man. That reputation is well earned. To describe Garrow’s book as detailed would be a severe understatement; this history contains near everything you could ever want to know about Dr. King. Garrow succeeds in showing both King’s heroic virtues and, more importantly, his very human flaws. Garrow doesn’t try to make King superhuman, because that manufactured image goes against what MLK really stood for. King drew on both his keenly honed intellect and a deep well spiritual faith to fight against injustice, both domestically and abroad, and King wanted us to do the same. On a personal note, while King has always been a hero to me, seeing him portrayed more as a man than as a symbol only makes me admire him more.

As for the narration it is good, albeit a bit dry. Also, it can be frustrating that Garrow has a tendency to dump a lot of information on the reader without much style or analysis. That said, it’s hard to say too much detail in a historical biography is a bad thing. If you’re still reading this review, what are you waiting for? Highly recommended!

Get another reader!!!

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

I really wanted to "hear" this book. I have listened to Audible books regularly for over 3 years. But the reader/narrator of this book was so bad... I couldn't get through the second chapter. The reader sounded like someone from a really boring 1950's documentary about roadway construction. No heart, no soul. Can't do it. I love MLK and his story. But I guess I will have to buy the book and read it myself.

What didn’t you like about Jeff Riggenbach’s performance?

Nothing. Terrible. This is the first time in over 3 years of monthly listening to books that I have ever written a review complaining about a reader. I will make sure I never purchase an audile book read by this guy. No soul, too formal, no heart.... like I said above he sounds like a really boring narrator from at documentary you had to watch in social studies class in the 1950's . It's the kind of voice I just ignore and tune out. I couldn't get through chapter two.

Incredible

MLK the person is shown to us. He was a beautiful man that cared about his people and all of humanity with such sincerity. We continue to live in a sick society. Racism is still a huge problem. MLK would still be fighting if he were alive.